Combined door-knob and indicator



Nu. 6|2,54 I. Patented Oct. l8, I898. O. M. BROWN. COMBINED DOOR KNOB AND INDICATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 3, 1897.)

2 $heets-8heet I.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS,-

N0. 6I2,54l. Patented 00f. l3, I398. C. M. BROWN. .CUMBINED 000B KNOB AND INDICATOR.

(Application filed Dec. 3, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Shaet 2,

(No Model.)

mvtmom awn WITNESSES ATTORNEYS- mz Noflrns PFTKRS co. vuoroumu. WASHINGTON. 0.1:.

FFICE.

ATE-NT CORNELIUS M. BROWN, OF NEI/VARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- I'IALF TO GEORGE WATTS, OF PLAIN FIELD, NEW JERSEY.

COMBINED DOOR-KNOB AND INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,541, dated October 18, 1898.

Application filed December 3,1897. Serial Ne. 660,572. (re a To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS M. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residin at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Knobs, Bell-Pulls, 850.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled.

in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class of knobs shown and described in my prior applications filed April 7, 1897, Serial No. 631,073, and November 10, 1897, Serial No. 657,995, the objects of the present improvements being to provide a door-knob which will on its face provide means for indicating the time of return or departure of the occupant of the room at the entrance of which the door-knob is stationed or will make other indications with reference to the said occupant whereby the employment of independent indicating appliances for the doorway is dispensed with and'the door or entrance way thus rendered more neat in appearance; to provide such door-knob with the time-indicating hands in such a manner that the same will be entirely inclosed; to prevent said hands from being manipulated excepting by the party interested, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved door or hell knob and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure lis a front elevation of the knob. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation showing an additional feature of construction. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same, taken on line at, Fig. 1. Fig. tis asection taken through line y of Fig. 3. Fig. key adapted to be employed in setting the indicator. Fig. 6 is a detail section of a certain dial-plate adapted to be turned by a pinion to change its relation to the indicat in g-hands. Fig. 7 is a section showing a disk or plate, preferably of glass or other transparent material, which'is perforated to enable the indicating-hands to be set or adjusted from the front. Figs. 8 and 9 are front views showing modifications of construction. Fig. 10 is a side elevation illustrating another modification of construction which may be employed; and Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a knob, showing a further modification of construction.

5 is a perspective view of a In said drawings, a indicates the body of the knob. This is preferably in sections, as indicated in Figs. 3, 7, and 11. Of said sections at indicates the shank portion of the knob, which is provided at the axial center with a suitable spindle-aperture a" and at right angles to said aperture with a set-screw hole a to receive a screw by means of which the knob is firmly fastened upon said spindle. -At the front of; the said shank portion the knob is circumferentially enlarged, as at 05', to enable the said knob to be grasped with convenience and give a proper purchase to the hand, and at the front of said enlarged portion I provide an annular or ring-shaped section b, which is fastened to the shank portion by means of screws 1) or by any other suitable means. At the rear of said annular section b the same is provided with a recess formed in the inside and rear walls in such a manner as to form a shoulder 12, against which a transparent face-plate c has its bearsuch as the arbors d, having pinions e e and The key-stem 1 is employed for setting the hands, said stem having an angular extremity lying in a recess or perforation j in the periphery of the knob, so as to be protected from injury and to prevent said stem from being uncomfortable to the hand in turning ploy such words as WVill return at, or the the knob. 19 indicates a key which may be employed in turning said key-stem. I may dispense with a key-stem such as shown in Fig. 3 and employ the arbor or arbors of the indicating-hands as such stems, as indicated in Fig. '7, in which event the forward extrem ities of said arbors are made angular to receive the key, and thefront transparent plate is perforated in the line of said arbor to permit the key to be inserted thercthrough. In Fig. 7, instead of a dish-shaped dial-plate, the dial is formed flat, and I employ a washer 70, which may be of elastic material. This is interposed between said dial and said transparent plate and. serves to hold the parts firmly in place.

In Fig. 10 I show that the front plate may be oval in shape. In this figure I also show a band 1, similar in some respects to-what' I" have shownin my prior application, Serial No. 657,995, above referred to, the said band being adapted to be turned on the periphery of the knob to close the keyhole, the body of the knob and the said band being each similarly perforated and the perforations being turned out of coincidence when'it is desired to close said keyhole to prevent the introduction of dust to the clock-indicating mechanisms; or the perforation in the band may on the opposite side of the knob receive a locking slide or pin, as shown in the said application, Serial No. 657,995.

Fig. 11 shows still another variation, in which the edges of the sections areserrated or provided with series of coinciding teeth a cogged flange m, the cogs of which mesh with a beveled or otherwise-geared pinion n, arranged on a key-stem 1.

sets of hour-indicating hands on the face of the dial, twelve of the numbers of which may refer to the morning or ante-meridian hours, i and the other twelve, which may be separated by a line, as in Fig. 9, mayindicate the afternoon or post-meridian hours.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to any particular means for setting the hands or changing the relation of the hands to the dial-plate or any particular word ing upon said dial-plate.

\Vith reference to the wording I may eminitial symbols A. M. and P. M.,or such words as Boston and New York, repre senting different localities; and I do not wish to be understood as limiting the use of the knob to office-doors or bell-pulls, as it may be used in various locations and undernumerous and widely-different conditions, all without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The improved knob herein described, comprising the shank recessed to receive the spindle, and an enlarged hand portion in axial line with said shank, the said enlarged ,portion being in sections and chambered a dial and indicating-hands within said hand portion, and means for'operating said hands or changing the relation thereof to the dial- 1 plate, substantially as set forth.

2. The improved knob comprising the shank having a spindle-recess and a hand i enlargementhaving in the front face thereof j a dial with numbers thereon and indicating v or index hands, substantially as set forth.

The combination with the knob having I the shank and hand enlargement, the latter bein g chambered and provided with a transfparent front plate, of a dial beneath said I front plate, indicating-hands, a train of m ech-' 'anisms in connection with said hands and a keyl-spindle, and said key-spindle, all arfranged and combined, substantially as set ;forth.

4E. The improved knob, comprising a shank providing means for attachment, and an enlargement in sections, the front section serving as a clamp, a transparent plate and numbered dial or disk, indexer indicating hands,

a train of gearing leading from said hands to a key-spindle, said key-spindle, and means for holding the sections of the enlarged hand portion together, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the chambered knob, of a transparent plateand dish-shaped dial-plate, having a hand-arbor and indicating-hands, a train of gearing behind said dial ;and key-arbor in connection with said gear- I may have two ing, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of November, 1897.

CORNELIUS M. BROWN.

Witnesses:

R. M. EVERETT, -O. l3. Prrnnv. 

